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Articles 1081 - 1110 of 1681

Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Police And Community Teamwork Survey: Crime Victimization Questions, Scott Zogg, Dr. Kay Smith Oct 2013

Police And Community Teamwork Survey: Crime Victimization Questions, Scott Zogg, Dr. Kay Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

With the help of the BYU ORCA scholarship provided, professors in the Psychology, Statistics, and Sociology departments, and the use of a 13 console CATI-system tele-lab on campus, behavioral science and statistics students completed a representative survey of Provo adults for the Provo Police Department. The survey, which interviewed 449 respondents at a 62% response rate, was designed with many interests in mind. The following is an adaptation about crime victimization questions from the final report.

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Arguments Concerning Photon Concepts, John Byron Manchak, Dr. David Grandy Oct 2013

Arguments Concerning Photon Concepts, John Byron Manchak, Dr. David Grandy

Journal of Undergraduate Research

G. N. Lewis coined the word ‘photon’ in 1926 to describe what he thought was a particle that transmitted radiation from one atom to another.1 The word ‘photon’ caught on and eventually became the name for the smallest measurable bit of light. Developments in physics since that time, however, have suggested that it is “no longer straightforward to explain what is meant by a photon.”2 Select physicists now disregard the traditional view that photons are “bullets”3 of light. Others have argued against another conception of light that is based on the ideas of waves not unlike those found on a …

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Discourse On Thinking And The Concept Of Releasement, Jason Scoffield, Dr. David Paulsen Oct 2013

Discourse On Thinking And The Concept Of Releasement, Jason Scoffield, Dr. David Paulsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was threefold. First, the thesis resulting from this project was to provide a basic commentary on Discourse on Thinking. This was be done by using the much simpler “Memorial Address” and how it relates to the ideas developed in Heidegger’s other works to establish the background and approach necessary to understanding the more explanatory “Conversation on a Country Path About Thinking.” Second, the paper was to then describe the concept of releasement, illustrating the primary role it must play if man is to dwell meaningfully in a world dominated by technology and modern science. Finally, …

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Through The Looking Glass: A Study Of Eeg Data Using Aperiodic Components Analysis, Daniel C. Whitney, Dawson Hedges Oct 2013

Through The Looking Glass: A Study Of Eeg Data Using Aperiodic Components Analysis, Daniel C. Whitney, Dawson Hedges

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the past, it has been difficult to distinguish between different tasks of cognition using conventional statistical and graphical methods of EEG analysis. Aperiodic components analysis (ACA) offers a new, innovative approach to time series data analysis – a rubric under which EEG data analysis falls – and should allow the differentiation between simple tasks of cognition.

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Intra-Cranial Overstimulation Of The Brain Reward System, Lael J. Stander, Dr. Scott C. Steffensen Oct 2013

Intra-Cranial Overstimulation Of The Brain Reward System, Lael J. Stander, Dr. Scott C. Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Intra-cranial self stimulation (ICSS) has been well documented in both animal models and humans. Stimulation of various centers in the brain creates a very powerful reinforcement. Subjects will prefer ICSS to food, mating behavior, and drugs of abuse. One such pleasure center is the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) which functions as an information highway between several other pleasure mediating structures in the limbic system. Interestingly, constant stimulation of the MFB produces a highly dysphoric response. Animals respond with aversive behavior similar to pain avoidance. What is the electrophysiological change that mediates this reversal of pleasure to pain? In order to …

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Altruistic Vs. Reciprocal Family Relationships: A Levinasian Alternative, Bradford J. Wiggins, Dr. Edwin E. Gantt Oct 2013

Altruistic Vs. Reciprocal Family Relationships: A Levinasian Alternative, Bradford J. Wiggins, Dr. Edwin E. Gantt

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Some of the greatest challenges we face today are in our own families. Husbands and wives struggle to find meaning in their relationships. Parents often end up battling with their children as they seek to bring their families together in unified goals and purposes. Many are not successful in their pursuit of meaningful family relationships. Divorce and abuse are all to common in today’s society. Even more pervasive are the strained relationships between family members. How is it that these relationships can fall so short of their seemingly immense potential? It appears reasonable that family members should be able to …

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Learning Strategies Of Successful Undergraduate Math Students, David M. Sloan, Dr. Harold Miller Oct 2013

Learning Strategies Of Successful Undergraduate Math Students, David M. Sloan, Dr. Harold Miller

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The goal of my project was to identify the strategies of successful undergraduate math students and to then make that information available to those who wish to improve their own study habits. The project consisted of 4 phases. First, I interviewed instructors about what they saw successful students do. Second, I conducted surveys in several math-based classes to find out what students, successful and struggling alike, were actually doing. Third, I took what I learned from those surveys and tried to apply them in a classroom setting to see if the information could elicit a positive effect. Fourth, I took …

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Structure And Dimensions Of Maternal Perceptions Of Japanese And American Child Temperament, Kenichi Shimokawa, Dr. David Shwalb Oct 2013

Structure And Dimensions Of Maternal Perceptions Of Japanese And American Child Temperament, Kenichi Shimokawa, Dr. David Shwalb

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The study of temperament has an important part in furthering our understanding about human development. Although the word “temperament” is defined in various ways by researchers, two leading theorists defined it as “constitutionally based individual differences in emotional, motor, and attentional reactivity and self-regulation” (Rothbart & Bates, 1997, p. 108). This definition, particularly, the term “constitutional” emphasizes the biological aspect of temperament. However, Dr. Shwalb and other researchers found evidences that suggest the influence of culture on how people perceive others temperament. Specifically, we studied the differences between maternal perceptions of Japanese and American child temperament to better understand how …

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Effects Of Harmony And Dissonance With Two-Tone Narrow And Wide Range Frequencies On Auditory Evoked Potentials, Richard J. Mcmurtrey, Dr. Donovan Fleming, Scott Steffensen Oct 2013

Effects Of Harmony And Dissonance With Two-Tone Narrow And Wide Range Frequencies On Auditory Evoked Potentials, Richard J. Mcmurtrey, Dr. Donovan Fleming, Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this research was to explore the mechanisms of how the brain is able to distinguish harmony and dissonance. The understanding of how sound is converted to neural messages began with Békésy, who discovered how sound is transduced in the cochlea. Later it was found that each auditory neural fiber, which carried the messages for a specific frequency of sound, corresponded to a specific place in the primary auditory cortex (referred to as “tonotopic”). In this experiment, the neural activity of the auditory cortex (T4) and of the sensory cortex (CZ) was recorded in response to specific auditory …

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Non-Invasive Sensor And Method For The Continuous Detection Of Abnormal Intracranial Pressure And Brain Compliance, Jotham Manwaring, Coray Mcclellan, Dr. Erin Bigler Oct 2013

Non-Invasive Sensor And Method For The Continuous Detection Of Abnormal Intracranial Pressure And Brain Compliance, Jotham Manwaring, Coray Mcclellan, Dr. Erin Bigler

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Children diagnosed with hydrocephalus, or patients suffering from head trauma require treatment by a neurosurgeon and a neurologist. Hydrocephalus is a condition in which the patient has retained too much cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) by either over production, or inability to shunt off old fluid. Since the cranium, effectively a closed boxed around the brain, is rigid, an increase in CSF causes an increase in the amount of pressure the brain experiences. Patients suffering from trauma also experience increased intracranial pressure (ICP) but by a different mechanism; trauma causes the brain itself to swell and push against the cranium. One …

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Effects Of Harmony And Dissonance With Two-Tone Narrow And Wide Range Frequencies On Auditory Evoked Potentials, Richard J. Mcmurtrey, Dr. Donovan Fleming, Scott Steffensen Oct 2013

Effects Of Harmony And Dissonance With Two-Tone Narrow And Wide Range Frequencies On Auditory Evoked Potentials, Richard J. Mcmurtrey, Dr. Donovan Fleming, Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this research was to explore the mechanisms of how the brain is able to distinguish harmony and dissonance. The understanding of how sound is converted to neural messages began with Békésy, who discovered how sound is transduced in the cochlea. Later it was found that each auditory neural fiber, which carried the messages for a specific frequency of sound, corresponded to a specific place in the primary auditory cortex (referred to as “tonotopic”). In this experiment, the neural activity of the auditory cortex (T4) and of the sensory cortex (CZ) was recorded in response to specific auditory …

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Hpo: How Would We Know?, Tyler Jonathan Faux, Dr. Bruce L. Brown Oct 2013

Hpo: How Would We Know?, Tyler Jonathan Faux, Dr. Bruce L. Brown

Journal of Undergraduate Research

High Performance Organization (HPO) training developed in the early nineties at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia. This agency has the responsibility to train senior level executives in government agencies. Since its development, HPO seminars have been presented to many government, military, and private institutions. Essentially, the creators of HPO training have attempted to cast a net over the best ideas in organizational theory and to combine it into a coherent, internally consistent picture.

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The Effects Of Gender On Human Event-Related Potentials, Kimberly Hales, Dr. Scott C. Steffensen Oct 2013

The Effects Of Gender On Human Event-Related Potentials, Kimberly Hales, Dr. Scott C. Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Specific components of the human averaged visual evoked potential (VEP) are task-related. As observers scan a visual scene, they use two main types of visual object search: parallel and serial (Luck and Hillyard 1994). Parallel processing is where the object seems to “pop-out” to the observer, while serial processing requires searching. In this study, two targets were used that were previously characterized as parallel or serial (Salyer 2001) to study their differential effects on late VEP components.

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“The Role Of Gaba Electrical Networks In Brain Stimulation Reward”, Seth Gunderson, Dr. Scott Steffensen Oct 2013

“The Role Of Gaba Electrical Networks In Brain Stimulation Reward”, Seth Gunderson, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The basis for my project is predicated on the rewarding properties of alcohol and other substances of abuse. We set out to further our understanding the neural system that is involved in intracranial self stimulation (ICSS) and how this system is mediated by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons. Studies involving intravenous self administration (SA) of opiates and psychostimulants have identified specific neural substrates that mediate the reinforcing actions of these drugs and they constitute part of the same central nervous reward system that has evolved for mediating natural motivated behaviors, the mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) system.1,2

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Adaptive Effects Of Ventral Tegmental Area Gaba Neurons To Alcohol, Jeffrey Sparenborg, Dr. Scott Steffensen Oct 2013

Adaptive Effects Of Ventral Tegmental Area Gaba Neurons To Alcohol, Jeffrey Sparenborg, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I set out to discover the substrates of the brain that are involved with chronic use of alcohol. My mentor Scott Steffensen had previously found that the GABA neurons in the midbrain, more specifically, in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain were susceptible to ethanol administration. This information is only a piece, however, of the puzzle that will eventually show the full picture of how ethanol disrupts our brain’s function. The next piece that my ORCA aimed to delineate was to see what mechanisms in the VTA were changing when the brain became addicted to alcohol i.e., what …

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The Neurophysiological Effects Of Carbon Monoxide On The Basal Ganglia Over Time, Dalin Pulsipher, Dr. Ramona O. Hopkins Oct 2013

The Neurophysiological Effects Of Carbon Monoxide On The Basal Ganglia Over Time, Dalin Pulsipher, Dr. Ramona O. Hopkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is one of the most common causes of death due to poisoning in the United States [1]. CO poisoning often results in neurological changes and motor and cognitive impairments due to anoxia and other related biomechanical mechanisms [2]. A major set of subcortical nuclei affected by CO poisoning are the basal ganglia, which play a key role in the regulation and coordination of movement, as well as some cognitive functions.

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Orca Progress Report, Lara Schwicht, Dr. Jeffrey Lee Oct 2013

Orca Progress Report, Lara Schwicht, Dr. Jeffrey Lee

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This study focuses on assessment procedures used to evaluate the treatments offered to severely and persistently mentally ill patients (SPMI). By way of definition, SPMI individuals: (1) number between one and five million (NAMHC, 1995; Arns, & Linney, 1993), (2) use a significant percentage of mental health care inpatient and community services ($148 billion annually in the United States), and (3) are diagnosed with mental disorders such as “schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression, autism, and obsessive compulsive disorder” (Carey, & Carey, 1999). The size of this patient population coupled with its financial impact on health care in North …

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The Effect Of Media On Anxiety, Depression And Self-Esteem In Persons With Different Body Mass Indices (Bmi), Angel Saavedra Cisneros, Dr. Matthew Spackman Oct 2013

The Effect Of Media On Anxiety, Depression And Self-Esteem In Persons With Different Body Mass Indices (Bmi), Angel Saavedra Cisneros, Dr. Matthew Spackman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Body image is only one of different aspects that make up what is known as “self-image.” That is, the way we view ourselves as a whole by ourselves and in reference to others. Having a healthy self-image is important to overall wellbeing in many individuals. Having a healthy body-image is a very important part of self-image healthiness; the comparisons we subject our body-image to are also important to our self image.

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Dopamine Pharmacology Of Vta Gaba Neurons, Brian C. Bingham, Dr. Scott Steffensen Oct 2013

Dopamine Pharmacology Of Vta Gaba Neurons, Brian C. Bingham, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alcohol addiction has destroyed lives and communities for centuries. By understanding the mechanism of how our brain becomes addicted to alcohol we can better solve the problems this addiction creates. The current theory states that dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the midbrain help produce feelings of reward associated with alcohol use. These dopamine neurons are modulated by GABA neurons that form a feedback loop that can be stimulated via a brain structure called the internal capsule. The purpose of this project was to clarify the effect of dopamine (DA) on GABA neuron firing rate and electrical …

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Sucrose Self Administration, Adam Bevan, Dr. Scott Steffensen Oct 2013

Sucrose Self Administration, Adam Bevan, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alcoholism is a problem that affects almost the whole world. The purpose of our proposed study was to record neuronal activity of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of male Wistar rats during self-administration of sucrose, which is a natural reward for rats. Although sucrose administration seems far from alcoholism, our goal was to see how these neurons act in during a behavior known to be pleasurable since past literature suggested that rats would not self-administer ethanol to dependence. Our research did take a turn, however, and we developed a system where we saw rats self-administer ethanol intravenously. We decided to …

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Attractive Advertising, Michael Westover Oct 2013

Attractive Advertising, Michael Westover

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The world is inundated with images of highly attractive and underweight models (e.g. Joseph 1982). These models are commonly seen in many types of advertising, endorsing every product imaginable. Thin models create a standard of beauty that many females strive to emulate (e.g. Hebl & Heatherton, 1998). Although the practice of using underweight models is very common, there has been little research to validate its use. Advertising research during recent years has focused on the effectiveness of endorsers (e.g. Ohanian, 1991), but little research has been done to evaluate the relationship between endorser weight and purchase intent. These thoughts lead …

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Hungarian Health Care: What Is The Cure?, Charlotte L. Rosen, Walter Whipple Sep 2013

Hungarian Health Care: What Is The Cure?, Charlotte L. Rosen, Walter Whipple

Journal of Undergraduate Research

“Hungarians, rise, your country calls you! Meet this hour, whatever befalls you! Shall we freemen be, or slaves? Choose the lot your spirit craves!”1 This was proclaimed by the famous Hungarian poet, Petrofi Sandor, during the Hungarian Revolution of 1948. This battle cry is a taste of the deep-rooted spirit of the Hungarian people that has persisted throughout their tumultuous history. Because of its strategic location in Eastern Europe, Hungary has been conquered and ruled by other countries numerous times. Most recently Hungary was under Communist control until the Iron Curtain fell in 1989. Hungary has many social, economic, and …

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Augustine’S Theory Of Language; Its Integration With His Ontological Thought, John Rather, Dr. James Siebach Sep 2013

Augustine’S Theory Of Language; Its Integration With His Ontological Thought, John Rather, Dr. James Siebach

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the Confessions, St. Augustine writes that his conversion to Christianity was made possible by a prior conversion to philosophy. By the time of his Christian conversion, and for the rest of his life, Augustine’s philosophical and theological views were most deeply affected by Neoplatonism. It was by means of Neoplatonism especially, that Augustine sought to understand and defend his religious beliefs. Although these two ways of thinking seemed naturally conducive to Augustine, and did indeed enable him to defend many doctrines of the Catholic Church against philosophical attack, the combination was not without its resultant conflicts.

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Spiritual Matter A Mormon Materialism For The 21st Century, Kevin Winters, Dr. Mark Wrathall Sep 2013

Spiritual Matter A Mormon Materialism For The 21st Century, Kevin Winters, Dr. Mark Wrathall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In May of 1843, Joseph Smith gave a decisive statement against dualism: “There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; we cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter” (D&C 131:7-8). This led to a handful of expositions by various leaders and thinkers, such as Orson Pratt’s “The Absurdities of Immaterialism” or, more recently, Truman Madsen’s Eternal Man. But beyond Madsen’s brief treatment and a few other short works on the issue, …

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Illuminating Incompleteness: Teaching Incompleteness In Finite Set Theory, Vanessa Stanfill, Dr. Dennis Packard Sep 2013

Illuminating Incompleteness: Teaching Incompleteness In Finite Set Theory, Vanessa Stanfill, Dr. Dennis Packard

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the 1930s, a 24-year-old mathematician named Kurt Gödel developed a theorem showing that certain mathematical and logical systems, those capable of defining numbers, arithmetic, and multiplication, must be incomplete. These systems are incomplete, he showed, because they can generate certain true, but unprovable, statements. Gödel’s theorem has since become a common concept taught in advanced undergraduate logic courses. Undergraduate philosophy students attempting to understand incompleteness are usually well-grounded in basic Aristotelian and first-order predicate logic, as well as set theory. When they try to tackle Gödel’s proof, however, they are thrown into a dizzyingly unfamiliar new world of notation …

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Heart Rate Response Under Induced Stress: A Comparison Of Individuals With High And Low Ruminative Tendencies, Douglas Marchant, Dr. Claudia Clayton Sep 2013

Heart Rate Response Under Induced Stress: A Comparison Of Individuals With High And Low Ruminative Tendencies, Douglas Marchant, Dr. Claudia Clayton

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Rumination can be defined as persistent, recyclic thinking (Rippere, 1977). There are characteristic differences between normal rumination, which is simply recyclic thinking, and depressive rumination, which is characterized by recyclic thoughts focused on one’s depressive symptoms and the ramifications of those symptoms (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991). Therefore, depressive rumination is narrower in its content than normal rumination. Examples include revisiting private regrets and disappointments, focusing on feelings of loneliness, and dwelling on personal inadequacies (Davis & Nolen-Hoeksema, 2000). The following three examples of depressive rumination are characteristically different in focus than the depressive thoughts given above: “Why am I so sad?”, “Why …

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Tokenism In Non-Native English Speakers: A Pilot Study, David A. Shwalb, Dr. Niwako Yamawaki Sep 2013

Tokenism In Non-Native English Speakers: A Pilot Study, David A. Shwalb, Dr. Niwako Yamawaki

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Over the past decade the number of international students enrolled in colleges and universities in the United States has increased dramatically (Bollag, 2004). Currently, over 572,509 international students are attending American colleges and universities (Bollag, 2004), with approximately 2,000 at Brigham Young University (Light, 2004). Researchers acknowledge the important relationship between English proficiency and academic success for international students, but often fail to recognize many other possible obstacles to the academic success of international students. The purpose of this study was to identify and gain a better understanding of one such issue, specifically the negative impact token status may have …

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Sex Differences, Cheryll Garn Sep 2013

Sex Differences, Cheryll Garn

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This study investigates whether males and females use distinct brain systems while performing a picture naming task. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that in some cognitive processing domains, such as spoken language comprehension, males and females differ in terms of brain hemisphere activation, with a tendency for stronger left hemisphere lateralization in males. The purpose of this study is to test whether an analogous hemispheric difference (or other systematic difference) might be found between males and females in a picture naming task, which includes visual and verbal processing components. Brain activation differences were assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) …

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Correlation Between Electrically-Coupled Gaba Neurons And Arousal-Related Electocortical Activity, Marc Jones, Dr. Scott Steffensen Sep 2013

Correlation Between Electrically-Coupled Gaba Neurons And Arousal-Related Electocortical Activity, Marc Jones, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In order to evaluate potential correlations between VTA GABA neurons and electrocortical activity, we studied electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in freely-behaving rats during different stages of their sleep-wake cycle.

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Discharge Activity Of Ventral Tegmental Area Gaba Neurons During Alcohol Self-Administration, Adam Bevan, Dr. Scott Steffensen Sep 2013

Discharge Activity Of Ventral Tegmental Area Gaba Neurons During Alcohol Self-Administration, Adam Bevan, Dr. Scott Steffensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In today’s world addiction is pandemic. So many people are slaves to these controlling chemicals, from alcohol and street drugs to the more mild substances of coffee or over-thecounter medications. All these substances tend to influence brain chemistry, and the aim of our ongoing project is to uncover the effect of alcohol, cocaine and their anologues on midbrain circuitry. We believe that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons are primarily involved in addiction to these substances.

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